Seoul battles to save wildlife in border zone

The demilitarised zone contains a unique ecosystem and South Korea wants help from the UN to protect it for future generations of Koreans

SEOUL - Seoul is pushing for measures to preserve some of the world's rarest species of flora and fauna in the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) dividing North and South Korea, and to turn the area into a top-class eco-tourism destination.

Seoul is taking action to protect creatures such as these whooper swans in the border area with North Korea. They also hope to turn the area into a tourist attraction. -- KOREA NOW

A study by the Korea Forest Research Institute from 1995 until February last year showed that the 250-km-long and 4-km-wide DMZ is the habitat for about 2,200 species of living creatures.

'The outcome of the study shows the need for a comprehensive plan to protect the DMZ's well-preserved ecosystem, which is unparalleled anywhere in the world,' said Mr Shin Joon-hwan, a research fellow at the institute.

The rare species include eagles, antelope, cranes, frogs and roe deer. Also found in the DMZ are rare and previously unknown species of flora with the botanical names of Hanabusaya asiatica, Echinosophora koreensis, Iris setosa, Epilobium angustifolium and Iris dichotoma.

The Korean bellflower is one of 2,200 species in the demilitarised zone. -- KOREA NOW

However, about 97 species of naturalised plants, along with newly-built roads, were found to be disturbing the 90,803 ha of land that separates the two Koreas and other ecosystems in the region nearby.

The Seoul government is pushing ahead with a project to register part of the DMZ with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) as a trans- boundary biosphere reserve (TBR).

Ms Shim Soo-kyong of the Korean branch of the Unesco Man and Biosphere (MAB), which is in charge of reviewing applications and registration of TBRs, said: 'We see no reason for North Korea to object to the registration of the DMZ as a Unesco TBR which allows both South and North Korea to get financial and technical assistance from the world body for the preservation and sustained development of the buffer zone and its vicinities.'

The registration of the DMZ as a TBR will help the two Koreas move further away from 50 years of confrontation and also attract tourists.

The ecological map will classify the regions by ecological importance. Any kind of development activity will be prohibited in regions deemed to have the highest ecological value.

South and North Korea had agreed to refrain from setting fire to trees and bushes within the DMZ as part of their efforts to preserve the environment, the Defence Ministry said.

The military of both sides had adopted the practice of setting fire to trees and bushes for surveillance purposes within the DMZ.

There were 19 major fires within the DMZ last year, which burnt 371 sq km of land and effectively detonated 703 landmines. --Korea Herald/AsiaNews Network